BOPC Watch: Board moves Detroit Police Department budget proposal forward despite unanswered questions

The Detroit Police Department (DPD) budget for fiscal year 2025 got the stamp of approval it needed to make its way to Mayor Mike Duggan’s desk.

Part of the Board of Police Commissioners’ responsibility outlined in the Detroit city charter is to review and approve the police department’s proposed budget before it’s submitted to the mayor. Duggan is scheduled to present his proposed budget to City Council on March 7. The council ultimately votes on the mayor’s proposed budget.

The police department’s proposed budget includes more than $100.3 million in revenue and about $418.9 million in requested expenditures. Supplemental requests include $2.4 million to pay for 25 additional police officers and $16 million in capital repairs and improvements, including a $6 million renovation of the 12th Precinct.

Nevrus Nazarko, chief financial officer for the police department, told the board that due to rising labor costs for city employees, the requests for 25 additional police officers is unlikely to get through City Council.

“This may be, as I call it, ‘a casualty’ of the money situation,” Nazarko said. Regarding capital projects like the renovation request for the 12th Precinct, he said, “my hunch is that most of these projects … we may not be able to fund.”

Commissioners asked several questions after the presentation. Most, but not all, of their questions were answered.

Commissioner Willie Burton asked how the police department arrived at the $6 million estimate for renovations to the 12th Precinct. Nazarko reemphasized it was just an estimate and not “an authorization to spend,” adding that he could provide details in writing later.

Nazarko said he received about 15 questions from the board before the meeting, all of which he had answered in writing and sent back to the board.

Commissioner Linda Bernard said some of the answers were insufficient, and she asked that he revisit them and give more specifics. Bernard pointed out a question asking for budget details on the department’s “less lethal force technology.” She said the answer only included the budget for Tasers, not BolaWrap devices , which are meant to restrain people without using lethal force.

Board Chair QuanTez Pressley encouraged commissioners to follow up with DPD budget officials.

“If you have responses in the answers that were given that you find to be insufficient, make sure that you communicate that, and I’m sure there might be some clarification that’s available,” Pressley said.

Despite a few unanswered questions, Commissioner Lisa Carter moved that the board approve DPD’s proposed budget to be sent to the mayor. Burton pushed back, still citing unanswered questions. Ultimately, the vote was called and the budget was approved, with only Bernard and Burton voting against it.

“Y’all just rubber-stamped the doggone budget,” Burton said. “You should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Board members only

Speaking of unanswered questions, Outlier Media finally received an answer to a question that we had been asking about subcommittee members. At the Feb. 8 board meeting , Bernard announced new, unelected police insiders had been added to the board’s Policy Committee. Pressley told Outlier that adding non-commissioners to committees was not mentioned in the bylaws and that he’d need to check with the board attorney about whether that is allowed.

Pressley finally reported the answer in Thursday’s meeting.

“There is currently no policy that allows for either staff or citizens to be considered as committee members,” he said. “And so we will hold off on giving that title until a policy has been established.”

Unelected citizens present at committee meetings will be counted as “participants,” Pressley said.

The board will host a Citizen Complaints Committee meeting on Feb. 27. The next full board meeting is set for Feb. 29.

Detroit Documenters Nathaniel Eichenhorn and Tarrah Nelson contributed to this story.

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